Books with title The Birthday Party:

I.Flora Lee’s birthday came in July. Her mother wished very much to celebrate the occasion in a proper manner. Flora was a good girl, and her parents were always glad to do any thing they could to please her, and to increase her[Pg 8] happiness.They were very indulgent parents, and as they had plenty of money, they could afford to pay well for a “good time.” Yet they were not weak and silly in their indulgence. As much as they loved their little daughter, they did not give her pies and cakes to eat when they thought such articles would hurt her.They did not let her lie in[Pg 9] bed till noon because they loved her, or permit her to do any thing that would injure her, either in body or mind. Flora always went to church, and to the Sunday school, and never cried to stay at home. If she had cried, it would have made no difference, for her father and mother meant to have her do right, whether she liked it or not.But Flora gave them very[Pg 10] little trouble about such matters. Her parents knew best what was good for her, and she was willing in all things to obey them. It was for this reason that they were so anxious to please her, even at the expense of a great deal of time and money.The birthday of Flora came on Wednesday, and school did not keep in the afternoon. All the children, therefore, could[Pg 11] attend the party which they intended to give in honor of the day.About a week before the time, Mrs. Lee told Flora she might have the party, and wanted her to make out a list of all the children whom she wished to invite.“I want to ask all the children in Riverdale,” said Flora, promptly.“Not all, I think,” replied[Pg 12] Mrs. Lee.

It is the summer of 1975. An Onassis-like tycoon is nearing the end of his life. When he finds out that his daughter, with whom he's having a problematic relationship, is pregnant by a man he does not approve of, he has a birthday party for her on his private island, secretly intending to persuade her to end the pregnancy: a doctor is standing by to perform the procedure on the spot. The story starts on the morning of the party before the guests arrive and ends the following day when all the guests are gone. The novel intersperses the events that take place before, during and after the party with flashbacks to the tycoon's rise to wealth and fame, from his childhood in Asia Minor in the 1920s to old age, via Buenos Aires, New York, London and Paris.

The storyteller is Miss Minerva, a yellow and orange rather plump tabby cat. They say I have beautiful eyes but I'll let you judge for yourselves. I love to eat! A few of my favorites include: milk, watermelon, oatmeal cookies (homemade of course), tuna fish and Rock Road ice cream. Let me tell you a secret. I can talk! If that got out it might cause all kinds of problems. But, come to think of it who would believe such a thing? Anyhow, I just love a secret don't you! My best friend is Jasmine, in case you're wondering; no she isn't a cat but, a lovely six-year-old girl. We go everywhere together. Besides me, Jasmine's best friend is Jessica. Those two have been best friends since pre-school. They both love the color red, candy apples, popcorn, soccer and talking on the phone.

Goldberg and McCann arrive at a seaside boarding house where Meg and Petey live with their guest Stanley. They inquire about Stanley: we soon find out that McCann and Goldberg have a job to do. Learning it is his birthday they give Stanley a party at which Stanley is verbally bludgeoned into submission. The next day Stanley is removed. It is the collective impact of the dialogue which welds they seemingly inexplicable actions of Goldberg and McCann into a menacing whole.